What if
by ginny6259
Summary: What if Kyouhei could go back to time and prevent this guy from calling Sunako 'ugly? Would it really change something? Or is Sunako just using it as an excuse? The idea was inspired by the Kdrama Operation Proposal, I hope you like it!
1. A jump into the past

'Get out of my sanctuary bright creature!"

'Not until you come and make some food, I'm hungry!'

'Well, if you're that hungry learn to cook!'

Sunako slammed the door at Kyouhei's face. He stood aghast, wondering how on earth there could be a girl with such bad temper. Ok, well, maybe he had provoked her bad mood that day. He had been teasing her since the day before, entering her room without knocking, smirking at her, watching her from the entrance of the kitchen (he could not possibly enter this room, she would _really_ kill him), everything he knew would get her mad. He could not prevent it, at least, when she wanted to kill him, she paid attention to him. He had long realized that she was an awesome girl, how could he ignore this fact? He had noticed it the first time he had seen her fight, the first time he had seen her care for her friends, the first time he had seen her so much enjoy gore stuff. Maybe it was that thing that had impressed him the most. Everything was unique about her. Well, true, she was most of the time creepy, but it belonged to her personality. When he knew her family, it was not surprising. Her beautiful mother and aunt were just as frightening, if not more. Even so, Sunako was not the same type, she was shier in her way.

Sometimes, he thought of her as a mirror of himself. The weird obsession for gore stuff, the love for competition, the complicated relationship with beauty…. Kyouhei hated his face because nobody had wished to see beyond it and everyone had been fantasizing with him, wanted him to belong to them, without even trying to know him. Even so, his mother had rejected him because of his face, Sunako as well. Not only because of it, of course, but he knew it was an obstacle in their relationship since, for her, it reminded her of her 'ugliness'. As much as he hated his face, she hated her own face because she thought of herself as ugly. Just because an idiot had wanted to reject her and had used this argument. Since then, she would not open her eyes to the world and had been confining herself in the dark world, as she called it. When he first looked at her, it was true, she was not very beautiful. But never the term 'ugly' could have been applied to her. He, who sometimes knew her more than he knew himself, was the best judge for it. When she fought for what she thought right, when she was happy for something, when she got out of her shell, she could be stunningly beautiful.

Her awesomeness was striking, and he had just recently come to realize how much she meant to him. How? When he had thought he would lose her to this teacher who had the same fascination as her for the skeletons. He had even 'confessed', saying she was special to him, but of course, she had been completely oblivious of it. He had understood at that moment that the teasing he always did, the fights he had with her, he wanted to be the only one to do this to her. He knew that if a square-headed guy like him had realized how strikingly beautiful and impressive she was, another guy would come to realize it and snatch her away. No, he was not in love with her, do not imagine it, it was just that he admired her straightforward personality and her capacity to remain true to herself and convictions, and it was fun to see her reactions. He also liked the complicity he had with her sometimes, like a buddy, and if another guy came, he knew he would lose it. If a guy came anyway, he wanted to be sure this guy would be as great as her. So, he was always teasing her, happy to be this guy for the moment, even though he was since the day before risking his life.

'What's wrong with you? Do you have suicidal ideas?' A voice said behind him.

He started and turned around. It was Takenaga, who had just taken a bath.

'What? I'm hungry…'

'Even you are not that annoying. It is 10 PM, you don't need her to make you a sandwich, you do it yourself usually. It's been a week since you're harassing her, what did she do to deserve it?'

'Nothing, I'm just bored.'

'Don't give me that. You've come to realize you can't leave without her right?'

Takenaga had meant it as a joke, but when he saw his friend's face, he understood and dragged him in the living room.

'So', he said at last, 'did you finally realize you loved her?'

'Nothing like that, sorry to disappoint you. It's just she's fun to tease.'

'And…?'

'And nothing. Even though I was in love with her – which I am not – it would not change our relationship. Apart from the fact she would kill me of course. I was just thinking about that guy…'

'The teacher?'

'No, the one who said she was ugly. How come she could be so traumatized by such a futile word? I mean, there must be something more into it right? Why can't she believe us when _we say _she's not ugly? It's weird.'

'Who knows? She IS weird, so it's not surprising her way of thinking is weird as well. Why do you think about it?'

Kyouhei thought about it before answering. Which excuse could he find? He finally opted for the old one.

'Because of the rent you know. It would have been much easier if he had just told her he had a girlfriend.'

Takenaga gave him the who-do-you-think-you're-fooling look but said nothing about it. Instead he told his friend there would be shooting stars that night.

'And so?'

'We never know, make a wish! Good night.'

Takenaga left the room, leaving his friend to his thoughts. As if miracles could happen? It was not as though he needed one, either. Nonetheless, if he could just prevent that guy from calling her 'ugly'…

That night, when he saw a shooting star, unconsciously, he made the wish to go back to that time everything had changed in her life.

_**Three years earlier**_

'Hey, Sunako, so you're really confess today? You're decided?'

'Yes! If I don't do it today, I'm sure I will regret it! Wish me luck!'

'Good luck! See you later.'

Sunako was nervous. She had been waiting for that day for weeks and had summoned all her courage to finally decide to confess. She had liked Takeshi since the first day she had seen him at the beginning of the year, and the more she watched him, the more she wanted to be his girlfriend. She felt like today was the day she had to do it, that it would change her life. She had decided she would wait for him at the end of his class and tell him her feelings. It was 9:59; he should be out in a minute.

The seconds seemed to be hours, but at last, the chime rang, and a few seconds later, he was standing before her. She took a deep breath and turned to face him.

'Hello Takeshi-kun, I am Nakahara Sunako from…'

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her wrist and pull her along the corridor before she had time to finish her sentence.


	2. Just a plain girl?

When Kyouhei woke up that Saturday, he vaguely remembered his conversation with Takenaga, but had already forgotten he had made a wish. What he knew was that he felt observed.

'Tap, tap, tap…'

What was this sound? Why did it seem so familiar? He drew the curtains, and almost had a heart attack. What was happening here? Who were all these persons in front of the house?

His first reflex was to knock at Sunako's door. If there was something weird going on, she must be aware of it.

'Sunako, what did you do a…?' he said, entering her room without knocking but he stopped at the door, completely astonished. The room was bright and sunlit; it was certainly not Sunako's room. Every trace of her existence seemed to have disappeared. What the hell was going on?

He hurried downstairs to find his friends in utter panic, answering the phone and receiving abundant letters.

'Hey, what happened?'

'What happened? You're asking what happened? It's all you're fault, you moron!" yelled Takenaga.

Takenaga, calling him moron? What was it about? And the phone that was always ringing, and the letters, and the crowd outside. Suddenly he remembered his wish. Could it really be that..?

He ran to his room and noticed with complete bewilderment the keys of his parents' house on the table. He was sure to have thrown it away first thing the morning following his arrival in the mansion, so how could it even be here? He knew it sounded crazy, but he believed he had really gone back to time, or rather, he wanted to believe it. After all, his friends and he had met Count Dracula, they had met ghosts, Sunako had been possessed several times, why not a shooting star which grants your wishes? Sunako would certainly have wished an invasion of zombies or other gore stuff. He was smiling at the thought when the reason why he wished to go back to time occurred to him.

'Maybe there's still time!' he exclaimed, and without losing a moment he thought of a way to get out of the mansion without being noticed. It turned out that the basement was the best hiding place, as long as he didn't wake the ghost up. They would take care of it later. The advantage was that he knew all the corners of the place, and five minutes later, he was outside unnoticed. He didn't know how much time he had to do what he wanted, and he could not lose a minute.

He nevertheless turned to look at the house for the last time. Could he really leave his friends in such a situation? Wasn't it being cruel? He shook his head.

'Don't think about it Kyouhei! You'll settle the matter later, even if you have to kneel down again!'

He still could not get over the fact he had had to kneel down to have all the girls and psychos leave and have a quiet life in the mansion. At that time, it had seemed like the best solution, but still… If there had been another solution, he would gladly take it. Three years later, the guys were still teasing him about it.

His priority now was to raise enough money for Hokkaido. Not that it worried him that much. He had never had any problem finding a job, the problem was always to get out of it. In the end, he would always be sexually harassed, and he would end up beating his boss or his colleagues up. The idea didn't really attract him much, but he nevertheless chose to be a host for the night. It paid more and he didn't have to make a lot of efforts. All he had to do was to smile, and maybe grit his teeth. Why did these old hags have to touch him systematically? He had always hated physical contacts, and being touched by all these perverted customers didn't help much.

'Nakahara Sunako, you had better feel grateful in the future!' he thought, but he immediately removed this thought from his mind; the Sunako he knew would most certainly not realize what he did for her.

Still, a few hours later, he had earned enough money to pay his ticket. He had even succeeded in leaving quietly, pretending to go to the washroom.

He had decided he would take the first train leading to Hokkaido, without worrying about the price or the time. She should not confess before Monday, it gave him a day to join the city. It should be enough…

Unhappily for him, it seemed that he had taken the slowest train ever. Eighteen hours. And he was not even sure where her school was. When he arrived in Hokkaido, it was already midnight. It figured that her school was only half an hour away from the station, and he had no difficulties finding it. The reunion that Sunako had joined a few months ago would at least have served to teach him the name of the school. Sunako was obviously not very talkative about it. The school was quite small, but seemed nice. Kyouhei went back to the station to sleep a few hours and grab something to eat. He bought glasses and a scarf as well. Something to hide his face would not be too bad, since he always attracted too much attention. Moreover, he would never admit him, but he was quite nervous to meet her. He had never seen her 'normal', and he was afraid of being disappointed. What if she was just plain normal? Would he really want things to change then?

'Don't be so selfish Kyouhei,' he reprimanded himself, 'even if it's the case, it's for her own good. Stop thinking about yourself.'

Dawn arrived quickly, and he was at the gates to observe the first students coming, remaining hidden by trees surrounding the school. He didn't even know if he would recognize her, until he saw her. She was in uniform like the others, she looked like everyone else, but he could recognize her face among a thousand others. But she looked so changed. She seemed so common. An average girl. She was smiling at her friends, laughing at a joke, she was just a teenager. What had he expected? That she would hold an ax and threaten to kill everyone? Of course he knew that she was normal before the incident, but still he expected something… different. Something that would show she was outstanding. No, nothing, just a plain girl. He could not prevent himself from feeling disappointed. This girl, if ever he talked to her, she would surely yell 'Kyaa' and try to kiss him, like every other girl. Was it even worth it? Did he want her to remain normal? He nevertheless decided to follow her in silence, unnoticed by her. He learned that she had English class for two hours and decided to wait in the cafeteria situated just a few doors from her class.

Two hours later, the chime rang and he got up to follow her. He very soon understood that she intended to confess during that break. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to prevent the confession and risk never to know the freaky Sunako, but when he saw her standing in front of this guy, he got mad and acted without thinking: he ran towards her and seized her arm. He didn't even know where he was going, but three minutes later, they were on the roof. He had not realized that he still held her arm until she tried to get away from him.

'Let me go, you moron. It's been weeks since I tried to gather enough courage to confess. You're spoiling it.'

'It's not a good idea, I know this guy, he'll break your heart,' he answered, trying to keep a hold of her. Extraordinarily, at that time, she already had this incredible strength. It must run in the genes.

'As though it had anything to do with you,' she replied angrily, pulling her wrist even more firmly and with all her strength. Kyouhei, surprised by her force, but not letting go, fell on her.

Sunako immediately tried to get away from him but it was useless, he would not move. He smirked at her face when she even tried to bite him.

'Some things don't change apparently, you're as wild as ever.'

'What are you even…'

She was interrupted when, for the first time, their eyes met. Even better, they locked for three seconds. Kyouhei hadn't even realized his glasses had fallen, he was just thinking how much he had missed that look. He loved to be in conflict with her, especially for that determined look which seemed to dare the whole world to mess with her. Her determination nevertheless instantly fell and sure enough, she swooned. With nosebleed of course, she wouldn't be Nakahara Sunako if it wasn't the case.

Sighing with relief, Kyouhei got up.

'Normal huh? Who are you kidding? What is normal about you?'


	3. Hooray to the Nakahara women!

_Hi, thanks for your reviews, they really made me happy! Here is the new chapter, I hope you'll like it!_

'Suna-chan ! Suna-chan ! Are you ok?'

Sunako opened her eyes with difficulty to see her friends staring at her worriedly. She startled and got on her feet.

'What happened? Where am I?'

'You're on the roof. Do you remember? We were waiting for you in front of the classroom when we saw you being pulled by a man. We tried to stop him but he was too fast. Did he do anything to you?'

'What are you…'

Sunako kept silent when she remembered with horror what had happened. How could she have let this bright creature be so close to her? She shouldn't have let her guard down. This guy was no good. And who was he to meddle in her business?

'Come, Suna-chan, let's go to the infirmary.'

'No, I still have to confess!'

'It's too late, class has already started!'

Sunako stood shocked and angry.

'Are you kidding me? Since when? I'm gonna kill this guy!'

Her friends looked at each other with amazement. Sunako was always quiet and shy, but here she looked confident and… bold. She seemed almost frightening. What could this guy have done to her?

Kyouhei watched the scene hidden behind a wall. He had been looking over her until her friends came. He seemed quite satisfied with himself. Well, she didn't need to be called 'ugly' to be freaking out at the sight of him. She was really an interesting girl.

Whistling, he decided to use the public phone near the school to call the number the landlady had given him in case of emergency. The phone had not rung twice that she had picked it up.

'Where are you, Kyouhei?' he heard Oba-chan say with worry.

'Eh? You know it was me?'

'I only gave this number to the four of you, and since the three others are with me… To tell you the truth, I was expecting you would run away.'

'I kn…'

He stopped himself in time. He was about to say he knew. She had told him the night following his act of kneeling down that she was surprised he had not run away.

'What would you have done if I had really run away?' he had asked.

'I would have used my relations to find you. You are under my custody. You can't leave that easily you know.'

He was interrupted in his thoughts when she asked him again where he was, ignoring his hesitation.

'Hokkaido.'

'Hokkaido, are you kidding me? What are you even doing there?'

'Sorry, I just felt like it would be less crowded.'

'Can you be that stupid? Anyway, it's going crazy at home. Stay at my brother's house until things quiet down. It might take a fortnight though. I'm gonna call my sister-in-law to pick you up. Where are you?'

He smiled. He had been waiting for that reaction, or rather hoping for it. He told her he was near Sakura high school.

'Eh, Sakura high school? What a coincidence, it is my niece's high school! Maybe you saw her. Anyway, go in front of the school and wait for her. I'll call her. She shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes to come. And most importantly, hide your face.'

Kyouhei hung up, relieved. He had kind of expected she would say that, but still, she was so weird sometimes. He was wondering why she had not given a description of Sunako's mother, but when he saw her come fifteen minutes later, he understood. He could not miss her. She was driving a striking red Porsche and was as beautiful as ever. Did such women really exist? Would Sunako become like her mom? Well, she was on the right track.

'Hurry up and get in the car! Sunako doesn't like me to come with this car, she says the car is too bright.'

'Hi,' he said in the car, 'I'm Takano Kyouhei!'

'Oh my, the famous Takano Kyouhei! Everyone is talking about you, seems like you have a great success. But I understand why, you're gorgeous! Don't worry,' she added when she saw his shocked face, 'I only see my darling. But I hope you'll get along with my daughter, she is a true sweetheart. Even though she has her habits… But she's great as she is!'

Kyouhei watched her gentle smile and could see how much she loved her daughter. It was the first time he had seen that kind of love. Except for the relationship between Oba-chan and Sunako, maybe, but it was a bit different. His mother had always rejected him because he was too handsome. Here, Sunako's mother was rooting for her daughter, even though she was kinda weird and freaky. But well, maybe she was different back then. He decided to investigate a bit.

'I look forward to meeting her,' he replied politely, and truthfully. 'What do you mean, her habits?'

She seemed hesitant, but finally spoke up.

'I might as well warn you. Her father is working overseas, so she won't hold back, especially if she sees you. She is a bit bipolar. At school, she has fun, has friends she likes, takes care of herself. But at home, she is, well, she's different. She can watch horror movies all day long, she likes to fight and play video games, she likes skeletons. Her room is a true sanctuary. But, well, it's fun to see how she's enjoying it.'

'Interesting, I might get along with her. I like that too.'

'Eh, a handsome boy like you? It's surprising! However, don't expect too much. She hates very handsome people because she gets nosebleed. She had rather be with average people. I've never understood why. I think she doesn't have confidence and considers herself as not pretty. She has always admired her aunt, so you see the level.'

Kyouhei looked pensively outside. The level? From what he knew, Sunako had nothing to be jealous of. Well, she had a bad personality, but her aunt as well. She liked gore stuff, but he liked it as well. And her cooking! It was to die for! Her aunt could not cook. And as for being beautiful… Really, he could not see why she was not confident.

'We've arrived. Hurry in the house, I have to do some fishing.'

He didn't even notice what she said; he was too absorbed by the sight of the house. The Nakaharas must have been rich, the house was gorgeous. It looked like the Nakahara mansion, even though it was smaller. The outward appearance was very inviting, and a few minutes later, he was following her in the house. Suddenly, he felt something bite his pants and almost had a heart attack. What was a fox doing in the house? Sunako's mother, Keiko, explained she was taking care of the healed animal. 'Unfortunately,' she sighed. 'He will have to leave in a few days. My hubby will be coming home. He doesn't like frightening things. My big bear…'

Kyouhei tried not to laugh when he thought of Sunako's father's outward appearance and gently pushed the animal aside, which submitted obediently, certainly tamed by Sunako or her mom. The Nakahara women were really impressive. She showed him his room, and two doors away, they arrived in front of Sunako's house, and Sunako's mother, Keiko, told him to prepare mentally. When he entered, he pretended to be surprised, but he was in truth relieved. It was so Sunako. It was the exact room he knew. Dark, creepy, awesome.

'Oh, this movie!' he exclaimed, taking a horror movie and reading the summary, 'I've always wanted to watch it.'

'Ask Suna-chan, maybe she'll accept to lend it to you. I have to go, I must fish for lunch. Make yourself at home!'

'Fish?' Kyouhei thought when she left. Something told him he would always be surprised in this house. He was about to leave when he felt something was missing but we couldn't say why. He remained there for five minutes, thinking about it, and when he was about to give up, it struck him.

Hiroshi-kun. Hiroshi-kun was not there. Where could the skeleton have gone? Sunako was going to freak out if she discovered he had disappeared. Once, Hiroshi-kun had disappeared, and Kyouhei had realized at that time how much the anatomic doll meant to her. He had brought it back for her, and for the first time, she had been genuinely happy and had sincerely thanked. It was also the first time her gaze had melted the iceberg that had replaced his heart. He didn't want to relive her sufferings. Then he remembered when he was. The confession day. And she had not confessed. So, supposedly, Hiroshi-kun was still in the garbage, about to be thrown away. His 'rival' was for the moment out of the way. What should he do? He knew that this stupid doll was her best friend and she cared for him more than anyone else, more than Kyouhei himself, needless to say. But would she be happy to see him since she had not yet been rejected, and could still be considered normal? He thought about it over and over again, and he took his decision.


	4. Is it a bad joke?

Sunako came back home at three o'clock in the afternoon, tired and angry.

What a bad joke! She had spent the rest of the day looking for Takeshi-kun, unsuccessfully. It was all because of this moron. What if she was rejected? What did it change for him? It's not like a bright creature like him would be concerned with her. And even if he was, she couldn't care less. Bright creatures belonged to the bright world; it was in the order of things. It didn't concern her. Even so, she had summoned a lot of courage to confess, and he had spoiled everything.

She barely greeted her mother, and ran to her room, unaware of anything around her. She didn't even hear her mother talk to her. If she had, she would not have been so surprised a few minutes later.

Ah, lovely darkness! She loved her room, it suited her so well! It had started with a few things, a horror movie here, a skull there. Her mother had thought she had just had a gothic phase quite early – it had started when she was six years old – but it really became a real passion for her. She couldn't explain why because, even though her mother loved wild animals and sometimes enjoyed a horror movie with her, her father was afraid of scary things. So she had promised her mother she would never show her room to her father. Her mother had never tried to change her room, and influence her to the bright world, as Sunako herself called a world full of bright things. No, she had accepted her and her weird habits without any condition. Nevertheless, Sunako couldn't ignore the criticisms her mother had to suffer, even though she told her it was okay. She had promised herself she would make some efforts to hide it, but she enjoyed being at home, because she could be herself.

Sunako was about to pick a horror movie when something caught her eye. What was this anatomical figure? He was so… great! She had always dreamed of having one, but she couldn't just enter a store and ask for one. Strangely, this creature seemed to understand her plea and her annoyance, even though it didn't speak.

'Here is Hiroshi-kun, I hope you'll get along.'

Sunako jumped violently and turned swiftly. She thought she recognized the voice…

She screamed when she saw the bright creature. Was it a nightmare? And he was in her room! And bare-chested!

She pushed him violently out of her bedroom and slammed the door. She heard him yell something but didn't listen. What was happening here? She put her hand on her nose. Blood… How would she survive if even her sanctuary was invaded? She looked at the anatomical figure.

'Hiroshi-kun huh? It suits you well…'

_A few hours ago_

Kyouhei ran to the school and was there in less than 30 minutes. She had said the backyard, with the trash right? So why was there nothing? He asked the gardener who was working five feet from him.

'Oh, what a handsome man! The trash? Why do you want to know, they have been picked up five minutes ago!'

'Are you kidding me? Where did they go?'

The gardener indicated the place where the waste collection centre was. Kyouhei barely thanked the man and immediately looked for the place. He didn't know the town, and lost his way several times, but eventually, after an hour frantically looking everywhere, he found the site. Fortunately, the town wasn't so big. What he saw nevertheless smote him. Tons and tons of garbage, gathered in only three containers. How would he have the time to go through all of it before she came back from school? He sighed and rolled up his sleeves.

'Nakahara Sunako, you had better be grateful!' he murmured before going into the first container.

The doll must have been thrown away only a few minutes ago, how come so much garbage could have already been piled above it? He was sure Hiroshi-kun was in one of those containers, since the employee working there had told him he had missed the truck by five minutes. Various things were scattered in there, but still, no trace of the doll.

It happened the doll was hidden under a sofa. Kyouhei immediately retrieved it and stopped himself in time; he was so relieved to find he had almost hugged the doll.

'This girl has really a bad influence on you Kyouhei. Don't be as crazy as her.'

When he came back, it was already 12.30, but Sunako's mom didn't seem to be worried. In fact, she was lying on the sofa, playing with the fox.

'Oh you're back! I was wondering if you had been attacked.'

'Yeah, I had some… stuff to do.'

'Like searching the garbage?' she said, coming closer to him while holding her nose.

'You saw me?' he asked, embarrassed.

'No, but other people did. A gorgeous boy like you is sure to be noticed. Plus, you stink. Take a shower before eating. You can take your time, it's not ready.'

She didn't ask him why he had been doing it, and he didn't give explanations.

He took his shower and washed Hiroshi-kun a bit.

'Aah, I must really be crazy to have taken you. But still, I hope she'll accept you. If she doesn't, I don't know what I should do.'

To his great surprise, the lunch was delicious. He hadn't been expecting Sunako's mother to be a good cook, but apparently he was wrong. He complimented her, but she dismissed his compliment.

'I didn't cook this. In fact, I don't cook. I'm not good at it, and I don't like it anyway. Sunako is the cook. It's yesterday's leftovers. I just bring the food.'

'Wow, your daughter seems quite interesting.'

Sunako smiled, and again, he could feel how she loved her daughter.

'Yes, she is. But you'll see for yourself later.'

Yes, and he was really looking forward to it. He had put Hiroshi-kun in a strategic place, so that she couldn't miss, and had spent the afternoon in his room, hoping the time could fly. He was tempted to borrow one of Sunako's movies, but was afraid she would kill him if he did. Well, she had already tried for less than that. So he had just sat there, watching the minutes pass. After what seemed an eternity, finally, he heard her come back.

He stood and stuck his ear to the door. When he heard her open the door of her room, he quietly got out of his room and watched her discover the doll, her eyes sparkling.

'Yes,' he thought, 'she seems to acknowledge it.'

He introduced the doll to her, but sure enough, she kicked him out of the door.

'You violent woman, don't you know how to greet people!' he yelled through the door.

A few minutes later, the door opened again. Kyouhei, who had remained behind her door, instantly backed away. Maybe he would wait to make the next move; she didn't seem in a good mood. In fact, the last time he had seen her gaze at him like this, it was when he had kissed her, three months ago, to silence her violent invectives against him. And that day, he had owed his survival to Oba-chan's unannounced arrival. It was the first time he had been so happy to see her.

'Mom,' she yelled, running to the staircase, 'how could you let this bright creature enter the house?'

Kyouhei followed her silently, keeping a safe distance.

'That's what I was telling you, but you didn't listen,' replied her mom. 'He lives in your aunt's boarding house, but there are some problems for the moment, so he'll be staying for a fortnight.'

'And how I am to survive with him in the same house? You know I can't stand bright creatures.'

'Just ignore him. Kyouhei, what do you want to eat tonight?'

'Sunako's fried shrimps,' he replied without a second thought.

Both mother and daughter turned to him. Sunako? Since when was he so familiar with her? They didn't say anything about it though.

'Okay… Sunako, will you buy some shrimps?'

'Why would I have to cook for him?'

A look from her mother silenced her, and she unwillingly prepared to leave. Kyouhei followed her. If she couldn't stand his presence, he would get her used to him, no matter what it took.

'Stop following him,' she ordered when they were almost in front of the mall. She would have loved to avoid talking to him, but she didn't want people to see her with that bright creature.

'I'm not following you, I just want to see the supermarket. And I still wait for a thank you you ungrateful girl.'

Sunako stopped and turned to him, avoiding eye contact.

'A thank you, are you kidding me? Because of you I couldn't confess!'

'You would have been rejected, I told you I knew this guy!'

'What does it matter to you? I'll still confess, whether you want it or not.'

'Do you even know him? Do you know the kind of food he likes? The movies he watches?'

'That's the reason why I want to go out with him, to know him better. A bright creature like you wouldn't understand. Moreover, you don't even know me and it doesn't prevent you from harassing me.'

'Wrong, I know a lot about you. I know your favourite day is Halloween, I know chocolate is your weakness, that you're the best cook ever, that you fight for what you think right. I know you like gore stuff and can't stand bright things. I know you love your aunt and have always admired her.'

Sunako was stunned. How could he know so much? She raised her face to look at him in the eyes.

'Who are you exactly?'

Kyouhei thought carefully of his answer, but decided to be honest.

'To tell you the truth, I'm from the future. From your future.'


	5. I'll take you on anytime!

_Hi, first of all, sorry for the slow updates, I'm busy with my works. I'll nevertheless try to keep updating one chapter a week. Thank you for the reviews and I hope you'll like this chapter!_

Sunako looked at Kyouhei with bewilderment.

'What… what did you say?'

'I said I was from the future. That's why I know so much about you. In two years, you and I will live together.'

'I can't believe it…'

Kyouhei nodded quietly.

'Yeah, and I came back because…'

'I didn't Oba-chan was owning a madhouse!' she cut him, her eyes suddenly sparkling. 'Are the other members of the house mad too? I never wanted to go because they were radiant creatures, but if they are mad, it's different! Is the house haunted? Maybe the mansion was built on an ancient cemetery! I so wish to go there!'

This girl had become altogether different. She was sparkling, and if she wasn't talking about so many weird things, she would really be a perfect lady, just like Oba-chan's wish. But, still, Kyouhei thought with a sigh, how could a high school girl have such twisted mind? No, not high school, but middle school, he recalled. It was even worse. So young and no longer innocent. Why did she like this stuff so much? He thought it was because that guy had said she was ugly but it didn't seem so. In fact, this guy, did she ever like him? From what he could see, he wasn't even handsome and he didn't seem that cool.

'Not as cool as me, anyway,' he muttered, smirking.

He had never compared himself with the others, because he didn't care, and to tell the truth, there was no comparison whatsoever, girls would always choose him. But since he had known her, a little at a time, he had started to care about what she thought about him. He was not jealous, no, but still, he wanted to be acknowledged by her. She was fun to be with, and the fact he was the only one to share privileged moments with her, like playing video games or fighting over food, made him feel important. But for a reason that surpassed his understanding, she couldn't stand him. Was it really because she couldn't look at him? From his point of view, Hiroshi-kun was more frightening. Gosh, why was he still thinking about this stupid doll? Maybe because the first words from her that really hurt him were that this doll was more important?

He was still looking at her pensively when someone called Sunako out. He turned to look at what seemed to be her friends.

'What are you doing here? Who is this handsome guy?'

Kyouhei ignored them, as usual, but Sunako turned to them as excited as before.

'What Suna-chan, what happened? Don't tell me he hit on you?'

'What? No, guess what? This guy, he is ma…'

Sunako stopped herself, and seemed all of a sudden embarrassed. She had almost revealed her true self. She had almost revealed her strange self. Her friends, as understanding as they could be, wouldn't get it. They would reject her for sure if they learned what really thrilled her. Kyouhei saw her uneasiness, but instead of helping her out, he decided to use mischief to have her react. Slowly, he put his arm around her shoulders and sensually approached his lips to her ear, so that she was the only one to hear what he told her:

'Feel like you can't tell them all you want to say? Come to my room tonight, I'll listen to anything you have to say.'

He was about to kiss her cheek when he suddenly felt a kick crush his ribs, having him breathless for a few moments. Sunako was trying to stop her nosebleed which was going to kill her if it kept going, and tried to calm her murderous intents. What was this guy? What was his problem? Did he care so little about life? She had warned him not to get close to her right? Why did he keep torturing her?

'Suna-chan, what is happening?' asked her three friends at the same time, having themselves an abundant nosebleed. This guy was really something. How could he have so much sex-appeal?

'Hey, you! I was just helping out, you should thank me for that, instead of trying to crush me.'

'Helping out, thank you! This is the second time you're giving me this argument, and this is the second time I really want to kill you! Are you just not gifted to help out other, you bright creature? Mind your own business, and I'm warning you, if you ever get close to me, I'll be seriously pissed off!'

'I'll take you on anytime Nakahara Sunako, I'm not afraid of you.'

Their eyes met and neither of them looked away. A crowd had slowly begun to form around the duo, at first attracted by Kyouhei, but then curious to see how the battle would turn out. Sunako's friends looked at her with bewilderment and awe. Who was this girl? Surely she was not the shy and quiet Sunako, was she? This girl, or rather this young woman, seemed so confident, that they wouldn't be surprised if she defied the entire world. This was the second time they had seen her like this, and the first time was surely connected with this guy as well. What power could he hold to have her change so much? And why did she seem to hate him so much?

Sunako didn't at first realize that everyone had gathered around them, too upset to be conscious of anything, when a voice attracted her attention.

'Yeah I think it's her, but I'm not sure, this girl is quite cute contrary to the one of this morning.'

Sunako turned her head to see Takeshi-kun looking at her with what seemed admiration, and maybe a bit of fear. She suddenly became self-conscious of everyone around her and blushed deeply. How could she have been tricked so easily? This guy, he just needed to tease her to reveal the self she had been trying so hard to conceal. Surely, she wasn't busted right? Her friends' face told her the contrary. How could she face them after that? And Takeshi-kun, he said she was cute right?

'I… I… I have to go,' she said, and she ran in the direction of her house, when the bright creature stopped her.

'Oi, I want my fried shrimps. And you're gonna come with me.'

He held her arm and pulled her in the direction of the mall. She didn't try to resist, if she did, she was afraid she would really not be able to return to school. They would treat her like an outcast because of her weird self, and she couldn't allow herself to be an outcast. She was not the only one in the story. But this guy, really, how could he just barge in and spoil all her efforts? She quietly crushed his hand with all the hatred she felt, and his loud grunt made it all worth it. Well, she would kill him tonight.

'Just so you know,' Kyouhei said to the crowd, 'This girl and I are going steady.'

'What? Is it true Sunako?'

'Of course not,' Sunako protested vehemently. 'This guy is mad. He just wants to harass me because he has nothing better to do, don't be fooled by his looks! And you,' she added, turning to Kyouhei, 'let's get it over with.'

Kyouhei thought for a moment that she really intended to kill, and didn't care anymore of the crowd, but she simply walked to the mall, trying to avoid eye contact. To be honest, he was kind of relieved. Having a mad Sunako was never a good thing.

The shopping was quite fast, thanks to Sunako's amazing gift for finding good quality with good price, and an hour later, they were home.

Sunako walked to the kitchen and didn't care anymore about Kyouhei, ignoring him completely. Kyouhei tried to provoke her, without success. It was when he entered the kitchen and stood behind her that she got seriously mad. With her knife still on her hand, she turned to face him and he recalled with terror the first time he had seen her cook, the night she had come to the house. That night, he had really believed she would kill them. The Sunako he knew now would not try to kill him anymore, but the young Sunako seemed quite impulsive. He nevertheless remained in his position and kept looking at her, praying for Sunako's mother to come in. And indeed she did, attracted by the good smell.

'What's been happening between the two of you? There seems to be some kind of sexual tension,' her mother laughed.

'This guy is harassing me. Is it okay if I kill him?'

'We've already talked about it. Only if he tries to attack you. That's called self-defense, dear.'

'Ehhh?' Kyouhei protested. 'Are you serious?'

'But don't worry, the last guy who hit on Suna only got three weeks to the hospital. She never killed anyone.'

Kyouhei turned to Sunako, truly shocked.

'Are you even human? Well, it doesn't matter to me. Like I said, I'll take you on anytime. You'd better be prepared, because I don't intend to leave.'

Sunako succeeded in maintaining his gaze for ten second, before a nosebleed had her faint.

Kyouhei sighed and patted her head.

'Well, I guess there's still some work to do!'


	6. I want a date with you

_I'm so sorry for the delay. I will try to post more chapters soon, but I want you to know that I didn't forget my story. _

Kyouhei, Sunako and her mother ate in silence. Kyouhei was too busy enjoying his fried shrimps to realize both women were nervous. Sunako was staying as far away from him as she could, wondering how she could avoid him for the following fortnight. But for her mother, another thing, much more important from her point of view, preoccupied her. She didn't know how to approach the topic though. Finally, she opted for the direct approach.

'Kyouhei…?'

'Hmmm?'

'Is it really okay not to call your mother? Mina didn't tell me the details, but she told me you were under her custody.'

'Yes, that's the solution!' Sunako exclaimed, suddenly happy. 'You should return among bright creatures!'

Kyouhei slapped his hands on the table and stood up in an instant, surprising both women.

'I'm sorry but I don't have a home to go back to. Thanks for the food.'

He left the room, not finishing his dinner. Sunako felt like she had said something she shouldn't have, and her mother's glare confirmed this thought. Contrary to her habits not to interfere, she asked her mother what the problem actually was.

'His mother has kicked him out and told him to disappear from her sight.'

'Eh? Why?'

'I don't know, ask him yourself.'

Of course she wouldn't do it, but still, it intrigued her. If he was bright, his mother should be bright as well and wish to have him by her side right?

Kyouhei slammed the door, angry. Was she that happy to get rid of him? And his mother…. He had almost forgotten about her. Of course she had just kicked him out. She had even cut all his photos and would even have cut his face if he hadn't escaped on time. His demonic mother. Those were the memories he had tried in vain to forget, and he had almost succeeded. But sooner or later, of course those memories would come back. The worse of it was that he still loved her. Even though she had rejected him. For a long time, he had wondered if he had done something wrong, before realizing his very own existence was wrong. But what could he do about it?

Someone knocked. After a moment of hesitation, he let the person in. He was almost disappointed to see Keiko enter his room. What had he hoped? That Sunako would be worried about him? But still, he felt relieved.

'Do you want to talk? I brought you a piece of chocolate cake, in case you're still hungry.'

'Keep it for Sunako, she loves it.'

Sunako's mother did not seem surprised to learn that he knew of her daughter's tastes, but rather grateful.

'You seem to like her and accept her. I want to thank you for that. Really. I love her so much that I tend to forget that some people don't accept her. She's changed a lot since she entered middle school.'

'Because she fell in love?'

Keiko looked at him with shock.

'What?! She fell in love? Since when? Well, it wouldn't surprise me. She doesn't tell me anything about school anymore. Before, she would tell me everything. She doesn't even talk about her friends. Does she even have any?'

Kyouhei reassured her, but strangely, she didn't feel happy to hear that, rather sad.

'Oh? It's great I guess.'

She met Kyouhei's questioning look but didn't say anything.

'Keep the cake. There's still plenty for Sunako. Good night.'

Sunako was restless. She was in front of her favorite horror movie - the story of a family of cannibals who eat their victims after having killed them with a chainsaw - eating chocolate, but couldn't enjoy it. She kept thinking about the bright creature. Had he really been kicked out of his house? With such a bad temper, it was not surprising. But still, could someone kick you out for such a futile reason? After all, she had the right to know, he was a stranger in her house. And well, if she met him every day for the following fortnight, it would be best if they were in good terms. Her phone rang. When she read the text message she had just received, she realized she had no choice but to talk to him.

After a few minutes doing things she would usually never do, like tidying her room, to delay the moment, she went to see him but stopped in front of his door. She knew she was about to walk into the lion's den. She had dedicated her life to avoid this moment. She had promised herself she would remain to the safe world, far from the bright creatures. Not too beautiful, but not too ugly either. A perfect, secure and plain world with plain friends and a plain romance. Just like any other teenager. She could, and she would do it. And her survival instinct told her that if she walked through this door, everything she had tried so hard to achieve would be over. Earlier in the day, she had almost been busted after all. Her friends must not know her weird habits. Everything but this. Even so, she didn't feel ready to confront the bright creature. She felt like she could melt just by being beside him, so what would happen if she talked to him? Would she die from nosebleed? The first time she had gotten nosebleed was by meeting one of her aunt's numerous boyfriends, three years ago, who was a top model of twenty-two years old. It was also the first time she was so conscious of beauty and ugliness. Unhappily for her, she was considered ugly, compared to her stunning mother and aunt. Thinking of this guy's face made her sick and suddenly, she felt like she couldn't face him. She decided to return to her room to summon some courage while watching the movie, but fate had other plans for her. Kyouhei was standing in front of her, less than one foot away. If she had not been so surprised, she would have noticed that, coming from the bathroom, he was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, but she couldn't keep her eyes away from his face. She was flabbergasted. How could she have so much bad luck? He smirked at her.

'Uhoh, did you miss me that much?' he asked, trying to conceal his joy.

'Of course not! I was… I was just passing by! I was going to the kitchen.'

'Oh, okay…'

Pushing her aside, he entered his room, leaving the door ajar. Sunako hesitated, but followed him, closing the door behind her. Kyouhei was surprised, but didn't say anything. He sat on a chair and waited for her to speak first.

She was about to talk, but suddenly realized he was half naked. At once, she felt her blood reach her nostrils and covered her nose. Kyouhei asked her to turn around for him to dress up.

'So, what can I do for you?' he said after a minute.

'I need a favor,' Sunako replied, not beating around the bush. She wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.

'Wahoo, it's a first. And what could I do to a grown-up girl who doesn't need help from anyone?'

Sunako ignored his sarcasm and explained that her friend Chihiko had texted her to say it was her turn to invite them home, that every time, she dodged the subject.

'They are right,' she said, 'it's not very nice. But I can't let them into my room. I have to re-decorate it.'

Once again, Kyouhei could only state that she was very considerate. She liked her friends very much, and wanted them to be happy, even if she had to do things she didn't like. Nevertheless, the Sunako he knew wouldn't go as far as re-decorate her room. He wondered what had changed. He asked her why she couldn't let them in, even though the answer to the question, but he wanted to hear it from her.

'Well, they don't know my weird habits. I don't want to frighten them, or… But you know, they are very understanding, and I'm sure they would not judge me, it's just that…'

'Can't your mother help you?' he interrupted her. It hurt him to see Sunako being so hesitant and trying to justify her friends' possible reactions when it was unnecessary. It gave him the feeling she was not confident and was belittling herself. His strategy worked. Sunako took her eyes away from the ground and looked at him with assurance.

'How can you ask this when you've met her? If I let her do it, my friends would think I am a taxidermist,' said Sunako, referring to her mother's passion for furs and animals.

Kyouhei burst into laughter but didn't say anything. Sunako waited, but feeling he didn't seem to be ready to help her, just shuddered and was about to leave the room.

'Okay, I will help you' she heard him shout. She turned to him swiftly, her eyes filled with hope.

'Really?'

'Yes, but I have a condition.'

'It was too good to be true,' she murmured for herself. 'What do you want?' she asked him, louder.

'A date with you.'


	7. Sunako's strange behaviour

When Sunako woke up the following morning, she had already forgotten what had happened the day before. She had what people would call a selective memory. Indeed, she had the ability to erase from her mind and thoughts what wasn't to her liking. She didn't even remember someone was staying. Therefore, she was in a particularly good mood. For many reasons, Tuesday was her favorite day of the week. There was no maths lesson, which was a great asset in itself. But most of all, it was obento day. Since her friends and she only had a thirty-minute break to eat, Sunako had suggested cooking obentos for them every week. She loved to try new recipes, but most of all she loved to see their smiling faces at the sight of them. Just the day before, her friend Chihiko had texted her to say she looked forward to her cooking.

Sunako frowned. She had the feeling Chihiko had written something else, but she couldn't recall. She couldn't check it: her battery was dead, and well, it mustn't be so important. Sunako checked the hour: 5. 30. Perfect. She dressed up quickly and went down to the kitchen. Today would be takoyaki and vegetable tempuras. She had quickly learned to cook, and to cook well, since her mother was bad at it. At first, she had made simple dishes that were mostly utilitarian rather than sophisticated, but she soon realized how much she enjoyed it. Mixing the ingredients, trying new techniques, tasting the food… She blushed when she thought of the first time she had used the high-sided frying pan. She was afraid of using it, and had let the food burn. Not only did the house stink for days, but she couldn't go near this precious apparel for weeks. But she had learned to master it and used it almost every day now.

Sunako gathered all the ingredients on the table and quietly started. She loved to work in the morning, when her parents weren't up yet. For two hours, she had the house for herself and nobody to witness her actions. She didn't need recipes. She always used the same basics. Only the ingredients and sometimes, the quantities would change. But here, no difficulty whatsoever, takoyakis were her father's favorite food, and vegetable tempuras, her mother's. She had already cooked it a hundred times, but couldn't get enough of them. She made extra food as usual, for her mother's lunch. For two hours, she would live in her world, until she heard her mother greet her.

They ate their breakfast together, like every morning, but her mother was more talkative than usual. Keiko was not a morning person.

'I wanted to tell you that you don't have to worry about yesterday. I'm sure everything will be fine. Just ignore him.'

Sunako nodded but didn't understand a thing her mother was saying. Was she sleepwalking? It would be surprising. She put the food in different boxes and hurried to the shower. Except that the shower was already running. Her mother could be so distracted! She had no notion of how to save money! She entered the room, but remained at the door, her eyes wide open. A young man was showering. Suddenly, she recalled everything. The strange apparition of this guy who had prevented her from conveying her feelings to Takeshi-kun, who had pretended to be her boyfriend, who acted like he belonged in here, made her sick. She sighed heavily.

'What?' Kyouhei asked, 'wanna join me?'

Sunako was about to say something but closed her mouth. She had to get used to him. It seemed that he would stay for a fortnight, and she had other things to do than picking fights with a stranger. She was about to leave the room but stopped at the threshold. Not turning back, she asked Kyouhei not to talk to her at school.

'I can't have my friends know we live together for the moment. Please. I'm begging you.'

Kyouhei didn't know how to react. The Sunako he knew would never beg. Was she that ashamed of him? He was hurt. She had hurt him.

Actually, he had woken up that morning with apprehension. He had been thrown back into the past to stop Sunako's confession, that was his wish when he watched the shooting star. And indeed, he had prevented her from conveying her feelings. The night before, he had been afraid to sleep, in case he would wake up three years later, with no memories of her whatsoever. And he wanted to know the young Sunako. He had been deeply relieved to realize he was still at Sunako's home. But well, she still intended to confess after all.

He would stay home. If it was what she wanted, he would grant her wish.

Sunako was early at school, as usual. She hated to be late. It gave her the feeling she was the center of attention. Something that she wanted to avoid, needless to say. But still, this boy really didn't help. Why was he always on her path? She shook her head. She had promised herself not to think about him. Her friends would come in ten minutes, they would laugh and talk about meaningless things and she would have a lot of fun and she would forget about him. She also had longed for this day because the day before, she was supposed to confess her feelings. If it had gone well, this Tuesday would have been the first day of her life as a girlfriend. She had to wait for the following Monday, because she didn't see Takeshi-kun very often, and when she did, he was always surrounded with friends. But the lesson he had on Monday was optional, and none of his friends had chosen it. Moreover, as he had chosen chemistry, he had to go to the lab which was isolated from the school. And her friends had encouraged her so much…

Sunako raised her head when she heard her friends call her. Chihiko, Noriko, and Nanako were in her class. They were friends since the beginning of the year and meant a lot to her. Sunako always had some problems getting well with students of her age, but with her friends, she felt accepted and understood. They were only talking for a few seconds when Chihiko asked her why she had not answered her text message. She was not the kind of person to dodge a topic.

'Oh, yeah, I'll invite you I promise, but now is not the good time.'

'You always say that Sunako! Don't you want us to come to your place?'

She hated when Chihiko used these kinds of arguments. It made her feel like she was not a good friend.

The friends didn't talk about it anymore, and the day went smoothly. Nevertheless, Sunako was worried her friends might be annoyed with her. Therefore, when she came back home, she decided that, even if it cost her, her friends would come home, and they would have great fun, and everything would be perfect. And if that guy didn't want to help her, she would fend for herself. She was a resolute girl.

Nevertheless, the first step to re-decorating the room was to throw away everything that wouldn't fit the new decoration, that is removing all her beloved gore stuff. This would not be painless of course. Sunako had prepared five bin bags, and she didn't intend to completely throw her stuff away of course. She would store them in a corner of the cellar. But still, she felt like she was betraying everything that she was. In particular, the separation with her newly met friend Hiroshi-kun tore her heart apart. And the beautiful skull that served as a candle-holder! And her collection of horror movies! Before she could restrain herself, she started crying and apologizing loudly for her betrayal. Kyouhei, who was hungry, burst into her room, without knocking as usual, to witness this strange scene.

'What the fuck are you doing?'

'Farewell, my friends, farewell. I promise it won't be long. I will come back to you.'

Kyouhei, quite puzzled, watched her kiss each and every one of her objects and put them in the bin bags, with a word for each of them, and leaving the room, not even aware of his presence. Okay, this girl was crazy. But he had to admit that he was impatient to see her vision of the room of a normal girl.

For the next three days, Sunako's mother and Kyouhei didn't see her much. Every time her mother asked her to make some food, she said she was busy and only got out of her room to throw things away or to pick up new things for the decoration. She would always hide it in bin bags, and Kyouhei had no idea of the kind of decoration she was making. During this time, Keiko took care of the food, and she was an even worse cook than Sunako's aunt. On Friday night, at last, Sunako came down and started cooking. She was quite happy with herself, and Kyouhei dared ask her what her new decoration looked like. He made a step backward when Sunako turned to him to express her enthusiasm, and her hurry to invite her friends in.

'I'm sure they'll love it! It will be so much fun.'

Kyouhei wasn't used to a gentle Sunako, nor was he used to see her eyes sparkle for something so different from blood or death. He asked her if he could see the room. He was shocked when he saw Sunako blush.

'Well, it's not totally appropriate to invite a guy in my room but I guess it's okay…'

This girl was frightening. After dinner, which made him realize how much he had missed her food, he followed her upstairs. Before she opened the door, he stopped her, and tried to prepare himself psychologically.

'Okay, open the door.'


	8. The art of re-decorating

'So, what do you think of it?' Sunako asked proudly.

Kyouhei didn't reply. He couldn't take his eyes off of Sunako's decoration. Suddenly, a very weird grimace distorted his face. His eyes had become two huge ovals and he was completely still as if he was not breathing anymore. Sunako was beginning to worry he might be suffocating when Kyouhei burst out into a joyous laughter. He couldn't hold it in anymore. He had to hold on to the chest of drawers situated next to the door in order not to fall. Sunako, at first puzzled, became very annoyed.

'What?' she asked. His reaction was beyond her understanding. 'Do you think there's too much pink?'

These questions didn't quiet Kyouhei down. On the contrary, he laughed with greater intensity. Sunako had to wait for another two minutes for him to finally stop. He breathed in and breathed out slowly, and was at last moderately calm.

'Too much pink? You think that's the problem? I mean, look for yourself!'

Sunako didn't obey at first, but reluctantly, her eyes followed the direction Kyouhei was indicating. Realization sank in. WHAT THE HELL HAD HAPPENED? Sunako was too horrified to speak. She just stood there, her mouth wide open, her eyes about to jump out of their orbits. There must have been a mistake. How could she not have realized what she was doing? The problem was not the pink colour, even though it was indeed nauseating. No, the real problem was the prominence of this _thing_. She couldn't bring herself to try remembering the name of it. This was a kind of white cat without any mouth – a concept which was already nightmarish in itself according to her. _And it was everywhere_. Posters on the walls, teddy bears on the chair. Gosh, even the set of bed linen had this cat face patterned. How could her dark haven have been invaded by such impurity? Because Sunako believed that if one thing in the world was evil, it was this. Well, it was true that she had been a bit carried away. All she knew was that her friends liked fluffy stuff, and her room, even though she loved it the way it was, would have frightened them. So she had decorated it with enthusiasm, to please them. But maybe she had been too afraid to look at the result.

'So? How did you even get this idea?' Kyouhei asked.

Sunako replied more to herself than to Kyouhei. She didn't care about him much. She had already forgotten she had been acting lady-like a moment ago, even blushing. The girlish colour of the room had influenced her behaviour, a thing that reinforced the evilness of all this.

'I should not have listened to the grandma. But she was so glad to help me! She even asked her grand-daughter to lend me some stuff to decorate the room…'

'And how old is the grand-daughter?'

Sunako jumped and looked at Kyouhei for the first time since she had realized the disaster of her new decoration. She didn't even care to see him in her room. She didn't feel like home anyway. She didn't ignore him this time.

'She told me she was 8.'

Kyouhei seemed aghast.

'Are you kidding me? You're fif… thirteen, remember? Of course there would be a difference.'

'Well, my tastes didn't change that much since I was eight.'

Kyouhei smirked.

'You mean you've always been into gore stuff?' He met her gaze. 'Okay, I didn't say anything. Anyway, your friends will really mock you if you keep this room the way it is. And if, by some miracle, they do like it, you will never be able to feel comfortable in a room like this.'

Kyouhei was about to leave the room when Sunako called him back.

'What? You're gonna leave me like this?'

She didn't give him enough time to answer and kept talking.

'Okay, okay… I will go to that… _thing_. But I will choose where we are going. And if you try to touch me, I will kill you.'

At first, Kyouhei didn't know what she was talking about. But then, he remembered. She was giving her consent to the date. He had to repress a big smile. He had almost forgotten about the deal. He was on his way to bring her stuff back from the cellar, but she had thought he was blackmailing her or something like that. He didn't know whether he should be vexed by it, but he didn't care. Before long, he would go out with her, and he was certainly not going to tell her that he would have helped her re-decorate her room in any case. He told Sunako he would be back in five minutes, and indeed he did, carrying the plastic bins.

'We will redecorate the room,' he told Sunako, 'together.'

…...

From what Sunako understood, Kyouhei meant to keep most of her things as decoration. She didn't like the idea of being together with him. Not at all in fact, she shivered at the very thought of it.

'But still,' Sunako thought while she was preparing the ingredients for the _omerice_, 'if he can help me keep my precious friends, it's worth it.'

Kyouhei had gone to the mall in order to buy some elements of decoration. Wallpaper for the most part. He had no real idea of what would be adequate. What he knew was that he wanted the bedroom to be more befitting to Sunako's world. What he wished for, even though he would never dare admit it, was for her to keep the new decoration the way it was, even after her friends' visit.

He spent a lot of time in the mall. He would wander between the shelves, picking a piece of wallpaper, leaving it, choosing another. Moreover, even though he tried not to pay attention, he felt many gazes from the people surrounding him. He had been asked out about fifty times by men, women, even children. A six year-old girl had said she had recognized in him her future husband. He had meant to insult her parents for the weird ideas she had gotten, but both of them were in awe of him. All of this was pointless. Kyouhei hurried out of the store and came back home as soon as possible. After dinner, the two teenagers found themselves into Sunako's room, not noticing Keiko's questioning look as she saw them leave together.

When they were into the room, Sunako immediately wanted to leave, but she didn't move. First, she had nowhere to go. She spent her days in her room, and now, she couldn't even look at it without being freaked out. Moreover, she really needed this guy's help. She had promised her friends they could come over. And she had promised herself never to make a promise if you can't keep it. Thus, she would have to cope with him anyhow.

Kyouhei was too busy to realize her inner dilemma. He was taking the stuff he had bought out of the bags. In spite of herself, Sunako asked him what it was.

'You'll see later, but first, let's take care of it,' he said, indicating the plastic bins containing Sunako's stuff.

'There is nothing to take care of. They will never like it.'

'I'm sure there are things that are really cool. Look at it.'

He was holding a candlestick that had skull patterns.

'If you let it on your desk, your friends will not even notice it. And it will resemble you more than this freaking cat.'

Sunako felt a surge of energy and enthusiasm overcome her. If she could keep some of her beloved friends with her, everything would be fine! She would feel more at ease to confront her female friends' judgment and more at home. She had never considered keeping it. She was so certain she would be hated by the girls that she had tried a decoration that was light years away from her taste, but which was completely inadequate for a teenager. Sunako had no real notion of a young lady's tastes, since she had never really been one herself. But this guy seemed to know his business. The advantage of the brightness of the room was that he didn't seem so dazzling himself. At least, she could talk with him without any nosebleed.

'Before thinking of the new decoration, let's get rid of the old one,' she said with a broad smile.

Kyouhei didn't say anything, but watched her remove the sheets of the bed, which were really truly of bad taste, even for an eight year-old girl. He was considering helping her, but it was so much fun watching her. He saw her throw away the teddy bears that had invaded the chair and pull it to the middle of the room. Looking at the ceiling, he was horrified to see she had gone so far as placing a lampshade that was patterned with the cat as well. When she did things, she did not stop half way. Moreover, she must have had many difficulties installing it since she could barely reach the lampshade, even on tiptoe.

Kyouhei was beginning to worry she would fall off the chair, which was pitching dangerously. He hurried swiftly, just in time to catch her in his arms.


	9. Kyouhei helps

Kyouhei fell hardly on the floor. Groaning in pain, he complained to Sunako.

'Jeez! Could you be any clumsier!'

As she didn't reply, he meant to check if she was okay and met her purple eyes, wide open with shock. She was close to him. Very close. Too close for Kyouhei to be comfortable. Her mouth was about two inches away from his. He could feel her warm breath. Without realizing what he was doing, he drew closer to her, as if attracted by her lips. Sunako pushed him back to the floor and got up swiftly.

He had almost kissed her. He hadn't intended to do so, but he had wanted it. He looked at her discreetly, dreading her reaction. She was sitting as far away from him as possible, glaring at him. Okay, he must clear the air if he didn't want her to throw him out of the room, and even worse, cancel the date. Any explanation would be pointless of course. Therefore, he decided to pretend nothing had happened. He drew the chair under the lampshade, like Sunako did moments ago, and stood on it.

'I'll take care of this. I'm taller. You can remove the wallpaper if you want.'

Sunako didn't move at first. Kyouhei could see mistrust in her eyes. It didn't surprise him. The Sunako he knew had taken a long time to trust him. And even in the present time, after months of cohabitation and all the things they had done together, he wasn't sure she really trusted him. Maybe she would always have suspicions. It was quite ironic since she was the frightening one but well, Sunako and logic didn't really match. For two minutes, she would remain prostrated in the corner of the room where she had taken shelter. She wouldn't look away, as though she was afraid he would try something. Kyouhei thought she looked like a wild cat, ready to scratch the face of the first person that would dare come near her. Finally, Sunako slowly got up and started tearing the wallpaper apart, keeping a safe distance. Kyouhei watched her, half amused, half pained. Some things would never change. He got back to what he was doing.

They worked for the whole evening in silence. There was no other incident whatsoever, except once, when Kyouhei brushed past her to throw away a pink money-box. She started violently and huddled up to the wall. Kyouhei didn't even react. He ignored her. Around midnight, the room was clear of everything. Only the pieces of furniture showed the room was not vacant.

'I'll come back tomorrow morning around ten,' Kyouhei told Sunako. 'We still have a lot of work ahead of us and must hurry if we want the room to be ready for your friends' visit.'

He didn't wait for her reply – that wouldn't come anyway – and left the room.

The night was long for both of them. Sunako couldn't get used to the emptiness of her bedroom. Even though she couldn't have born sleeping in the pink decoration she had designed herself, the room was miserably cold now. She felt like a stranger in her own kingdom. Kyouhei, as for him, was hurt by the distance between Sunako and him. Every time he was around her, he felt rejected over and over again. He wondered if his pushy attitude had provoked her hatred, but he felt like even if he left her alone, she would despise him anyway. Like his mother despised him and rejected him. And all of this was because of his looks. But what could he do about it? Scar his face? He would be considered a poor lamb which had been hurt, and his number of fans would increase. Attempt plastic surgery? It was a waste of money, and moreover, he refused to go on the operating table for such nonsense. He wasn't at fault. If people couldn't look beyond appearances, well, he could do nothing about it.

The morning came as blissful for the both of them, who had not slept many hours. As they were both up at 8, they decided to start earlier than planned. The first half hour, Kyouhei explained Sunako what he meant to do. She never reacted. At times, she would raise an eyebrow, or would be surprised. Once, Kyouhei even thought he had seen the shadow of a smile. But she didn't say a word, didn't look at him. She must still be afraid because of yesterday, he thought. He was hurt because he had really not done this on purpose. He knew the consequences too well. The first thing to do was to stick the paper on the walls. According to Kyouhei, the dominant colour of the room would influence his choices of decoration. At first, all went smoothly. She wouldn't look at him, but at least, she stuck the deep purple wallpaper. In truth, Kyouhei had chosen this colour because it fit her eyes, even though he could never confess it. He got really pissed off when she objected to helping him move the chest of drawers. He wondered how she had even succeeded in moving it when she had first stuck the wallpaper, that thing must have weighted a ton.

'I'm not gonna touch you you know? I only want to help, you ungrateful girl! Yesterday was an accident, you were about to fall, remember? You're always hurting me when I want to be nice. You were the one to ask for my help. _You called me back_. If you don't want to be near me, that's fine with me. I had rather leave than see you sulking.'

Sunako looked at him with a mixture of annoyance, irritation, and… what was it? Guilt? She mumbled some words that looked like apologies and held the other side of the chest, waiting. After that, she was much more cooperative. She replied when he asked for her opinion, she complied when he asked for her help. When Sunako's mother called the two young people for dinner (the leftovers of the day before), they had stuck all the wallpaper and the stickers were pasted on it. For these stickers, Kyouhei had chosen the colours black and white, which matched beautifully with purple. The patterns had for the most part tribal motifs that they had placed at the corners of the walls. There were various other motifs: climbing plants, giant flowers, and even a few cute pirate skulls and crossbones. After lunch, they took care of placing the objects of decoration. For the set of bed linens, Kyouhei had chosen pale lavender purple of course, with nuances of deeper purple to enhance it. Sunako seemed quite pleased with it. She had a small smile when she looked at them, touching the duvet cover softly.

Among the ideas for decoration, Kyouhei suggested that she could put a silken headscarf on the bedside light in order to subdue the light. Sunako was afraid that the scarf would be put into fire, but Kyouhei reassured her, explaining that the lampshade would avoid the scarf to be in direct contact with the light. A lampshade made with red and purple big pearls was chosen to wrap the ceiling lamp. If Kyouhei and Sunako could not keep all of Sunako's belongings, at least, some of them remained. Notably, a skull served as a book end for her book shelf, the mug that contained the pens had bones patterned on it. These reminders of death were discreet enough for her friends not to freak out, but present enough for Sunako to feel at home.

Before sunset, the room was finished. Sunako was amazed. She scanned every detail of the decoration. Everything had been thought. Whereas her decoration had consisted of only two motifs repeated indefinitely, here, the variety of patterns was quite extraordinary. The whole decoration was very coherent. Not too girly, not too gory. Not too bright, not too gloomy. Kyouhei observed her face, appreciating this victory. He didn't know if Sunako would keep the room the way it was, but at least, she was not about to tear it apart and start all over again. All the choices he had made had been done according to her personality and tastes. He had only thought of her. He was far from being an interior designer. In truth, these superfluous ornaments usually bored him. But he had wanted to please her. A strange yellow ray of light shone her face. Kyouhei looked at the room and saw the sunset through the window. The colours of the sunset brought a new atmosphere to the room. Not only was it clearer and warmer, but it gave a feeling of safety. Kyouhei stepped backwards, without taking his eyes away from the scenery, and so did Sunako. Both of them started when their shoulders met. They gazed at each other. Contrary to what he was used to, she did not look away. A big smile appeared on her face and she expressed, for the first time since he had returned to the past, her gratitude that meant a lot to him.


	10. The friends' visit (part I)

Sunako looked expectantly at the kitchen clock. Her friends, due at 3, would be there any minute now. Even though she was a bit nervous, she couldn't wait for them to arrive. She never invited friends over, because she dreaded their judgement. But everything should be okay. Still, it was not the kind of room she liked. She had been truly enthusiastic the day before because, in comparison with her own decoration, it was great, but she had not been able to sleep during the night. Too bright. Too colored. Black remained the best color. The bell rang. She hurried to the door, and welcomed her friends with a cheerful smile.

Her friends beamed back at her, waving. It was not the first time the girls saw each other in casual clothes, but each time, Sunako saw the contrast between her and them. All three of them wore dresses. Sunako felt a bit left out in her pants and sweat-shirt. She had considered wearing a skirt as well, but somehow, it didn't feel right. It did not fit her. She wouldn't have felt herself, so why bother trying to be someone you're not? Her friends were very pretty and cute in these outfits though. They had even put make-up on. Sunako tried not to think of the image she was giving of herself and let them in.

It felt strange to be the host. She had never felt comfortable with those social gatherings. Even when she was not the center of attention. She loved to see her friends at school and talk to them and laugh with them, but when they met out of school, it showed they were more than mere classmates. There was a bond between the four of them. And for Sunako, to have a bond didn't feel right. That's how she felt of course. Her friends would never say such a thing. How could she explain this to them? They always wanted to hang out on weekends and after class, and well, it was nice to belong somewhere. So this time, she would be the one to welcome them, to make them feel they belonged somewhere.

She led her friends directly to her room. The girls seemed happy and chatted gaily. To her greatest surprise, they had a surge of enthusiasm when they saw the decoration. She knew that Nanako was fond of girly skulls, so she was not surprised to see her happy, but her two other friends seemed content as well. Sunako was relieved.

She left them a little moment in order to prepare the lunch. She had decided to make them an English breakfast, mainly with tea and scones. She loved sweet food, as well as her friends. When they met on weekends, they would often buy scones. It was hard to find in Hokkaido, but Sunako knew an old English lady who had decided to open a tea room there. Her scones were to die for. She had begged the old lady to teach her the recipe. The woman had accepted on one condition: Sunako would work sometimes in the shop. The girl loved it there. She even felt like she had made progress in English. She had tried the recipe for the first time. She feared it would not be scone-shaped, but in any case, it would be eatable. Just in case, or because she craved for some chocolate, she had made a chocolate cake too. She put a scone and a slice of cake in each of the plates she had prepared and poured water in the teapot. A tray was ready. She put the plates with the cutlery, the teacups (that she had bought in the shop for the occasion) and the teapot on it. Cautiously, she carried the tray upstairs. She smiled when she heard her friends laugh.

When she opened the door, however, someone that she had not expected and didn't want to see was there, in her room, talking to her friends. The weird guy. Kyoukei, Kyoubei, a name like that.

'Hey, seems like I got in at the right moment. What's good to eat?'

'Get out,' Sunako replied dryly.

'Come on, we were having so much fun, weren't we?' he said, addressing the girls.

'Yeah Sunako, let him stay,' the girls cried in unison, pinching their noses.

They were almost begging her. But this time, she would stick to what she wanted. This guy was not welcome. She would not let him spoil her beautiful afternoon with the girls.

'I told you to get out. Now.'

Kyouhei didn't try to protest. He knew it would be useless. And well, he didn't want to talk to her friends. The way they laughed, when he had not even pronounced a word, was pathetic. If he had known Sunako would not be there, he would have never entered the room.

When Kyouhei left, the girls harassed Sunako with questions.

'Who is this guy?'

'Why do you live together?'

'Are you going steady?'

'Does he like cats?'

Sunako didn't say a thing. She couldn't answer any of these questions. It was obvious that she was not going out with him. She thought about it and just told them that she only liked Takeshi-kun.

'But you didn't confess right?' said Nanako. 'Maybe it's because you are not meant for him.'

Sunako was about to tell her that she didn't confess because that stupid guy had prevented her from doing so, but she didn't want to talk about the reasons behind it. Firstly, she didn't know them, and secondly, she knew it would only confuse her friends more. They would only conclude that she was in love with Kyouhei. Which was a stupid idea.

'Raaaah Sunako. Your problem is that you never know how to seize opportunities. Look at me and Tarou-kun. If it weren't for me, we wouldn't be together.'

Again, Sunako didn't reply, but she thought that if there was an argument that wouldn't convince her to act in order to "seize opportunities", well, it was this one. Tarou-kun was Noriko's sempai in the chess club when they were in junior high. She had been in love with him for years, and before he entered high school this year, she had decided to tell him about her feelings. He had accepted them and since then, they were going out. Their first summer was great. They were always together, he took care of her. They even went to the sea. But when he entered high school, he became more and more distant with Noriko. He was always too busy for dates. Sometimes, he would not reply to her messages, and when they got the opportunity to meet, he seemed bored. Noriko would always complain to her friends, but she remained convinced that she lived the greatest of loves. Sunako wouldn't say otherwise. After all, what did she know about love? As far as she knew, Chihiko and Nanako didn't have any experience in love either. Therefore, the three girls would listen to Noriko in silence. They believed she was right. She had a boyfriend, and they didn't. Maybe they didn't have her courage. Sunako felt obliged to remind the girls that she was about to confess the following Monday.

'Yes, you're right. I hope everything is going to be okay,' Chihiko said gently.

Sunako smiled back at her. Chihiko had been her first friend among the three girls. She loved all of her friends, but felt closer to her. She had been the first to know she had a crush on Takeshi-kun.

The girls chatted happily while enjoying their lunch when suddenly, Noriko asked for the time.

'Oh my god, you're right. It's already 3.55,' Nanako exclaimed. 'Sunako, do you mind if we watch Hana-chan no Koi? It's the episode before last.'

Sunako agreed and led the girls to the living room. In truth, she was not so fond of the idea, but she knew her friends were addicted to this drama. So she pretended to like it as well. But still, she couldn't see the point of it. Hana-chan no Koi was the story of a girl, Hana-chan (named after the hanami*, which her mother loved) who had decided to change high schools to follow the boy she loved, who had moved away. But this boy was going out with someone else. Sunako didn't like romantic dramas, and she couldn't stand Hana-chan. She was always whining and was so obsessed with the guy that she didn't even notice that other people cared for her. Another boy liked her, and was always nice to her, but she never even looked his way. Sunako thought she was quite mean.

Sunako watched the episode with her friends and avoided any comment. She was glad that they seemed to enjoy themselves though. The episode ended on a cliffhanger, when the boy Hana-chan loved kissed her, but the one who loved her arrived and separated them.

'Oh gosh, who do you think Hana-chan is going to choose? Oh I hope she ends up with Tetsuo-kun, their kiss was so romantic!' Nanako exclaimed.

The girls talked about the drama for a moment, speculating about the end. For a reason unknown to Sunako, who had dropped the conversation a couple of minutes ago, Chihiko mentioned the truth-and-dare game.

'Oh, I love this game, let's play! It will be so much fun! We can invite your friend, Sunako.'

Sunako wondered which friend Noriko was talking about.

'Well, the good looking man we've met earlier.'

Sunako was about to say it was not a good idea, but it was too late. She heard steps in the stairs and in an instant, Kyouhei was downstairs. Of course, he agreed to Noriko's proposition.

*The hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, "flower" in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms ("sakura") or (less often) plum blossoms ("ume"). ( wiki/Hanami)


	11. The friends' visit (part II)

Kyouhei couldn't believe he was taking part in the truth and dare game. Actually, one of his aims in life was to avoid it. But still, he had volunteered. How could he not? The occasion was unhoped for. Sunako was joining in. He was upstairs when he heard her friend suggest the game. He couldn't resist. Really. He knew it would bother Sunako, but well, who cared?

The five teenagers were circled around an old empty bottle of wine. Sunako's friends were excited, whereas she was silent, even defiant. She hated this game as much as Kyouhei did. What was the point of it? As a principle, she always chose "truth" over "dare". She had nothing to hide, and she didn't want to do humiliating things. All the more so, since that irritating boy was part of the game.

They chose the player who would begin the game by rolling two dice. The one with the highest number would spin the bottle first. With a 6 and a 5, Nanako began. After a few seconds, the bottle stopped to Noriko.

'Truth or dare?'

'Truth.'

The eyes of Nanako filled with malice as she prepared to talk.

'How far did you go with Tarou-sempai?'

Noriko blushed very deeply. How could she answer such a personal question? And in front of such a handsome boy! Moreover, how could she tell her friends that actually, they had never made out? Maybe it was one of the reasons why Tarou-kun avoided her recently. She didn't feel ready. Not yet. She could feel the gazes of the other players scrutinizing her, but she obstinately kept her eyes fixed to the floor.

Sunako felt sorry for her friend. She could see that she didn't want to answer the question, but felt forced by the rule of the game. But still, how could one answer such an intimate question? Did they all even need to know about this? She knew the first kiss was very important for everyone, especially girls, but she never felt she had to inform anyone about her first kiss, and she didn't feel it had changed anything in her life. Sunako emerged from her thoughts when she heard a high-pitched shrill.

'Sunako, what did you say? You already kissed someone?'

Crap, she had been thinking aloud again. When would she lose the habit of muttering to herself? She looked at her friends, but couldn't say a thing. For some reason, she felt apologetic.

Kyouhei couldn't keep his eyes away from Sunako. He was flabbergasted. How was it that he was not even aware of this? He thought he knew everything about her. Now that he thought about it, she had not been shocked about giving away her first kiss when they had kissed for the first time. She had been more horrified that is was by _him_, he remembered with bitterness. Who could have been her first? Wasn't her first love Takeshi-kun? As much as he was curious about it, Sunako was right: it was nobody's business but hers. It only concerned her and, well, this mysterious guy. Sunako's friends, however, weren't as considerate as him and harassed her with questions. Chihiko's stroke Sunako most particularly:

'Didn't you say that Takeshi-kun was your first love?'

Sunako could see her friend was hurt. She knew Chihiko suffered from being single. Like her, she never had had a boyfriend. And like her, she didn't consider herself as a pretty girl, contrary to Noriko and Nanako. Chihiko was not very tall and had been overweight since she was a little girl. Her plump face always wore a smile, but Sunako could see beyond her seeming cheerfulness. She envied the slim girls who never had any problems with their weight. Of course, she had tried many kinds of diet, but none would do. Even if she did lose a few kilos, she would put it back a few days later. She was resigned now, but still, she felt that Nature was unfair. She wanted to find love. More than anything, she envied couples. She would swallow any manga which tackled the topic of love, and wished such romances would happen to her. The quest for love did not only concern Sunako, both of them wanted a boyfriend. It was the reason why she felt so upset when she heard Sunako had already kissed someone. How could she hide such a thing to her? Was she the only one who had never had a boyfriend?

Sunako tried to justify herself and explain the situation, but she didn't have the chance.

'Oh gosh, don't you have any notion of privacy?' Kyouhei asked in a sigh, addressing Sunako's friends.

He had noticed the tension that the situation had created. He understood the outline of the problem. Sunako and her friends were close, they had no secrets for each other, and her friend was hurt not to know a thing she judged so important. To imagine Sunako to be so close to someone as to tell her everything was strange, but well, again, she wasn't the girl he would know two years later.

Nanako looked at him with awe (like all the girls that would look at him) but also a bit of disdain, as though the thing she was about to tell him, he ought to have already known.

'There is no such thing as privacy between friends.'

'That is preposterous.' Kyouhei muttered.

He had talked to himself, and wasn't sure whether the girls had heard him. But if they did, they didn't say anything. A silence followed. Kyouhei began to feel uneasy and was about to suggest spinning the bottle again when Sunako talked.

'You know, it wasn't such a big deal. I was six, and it was just a goodbye kiss.'

She was addressing Chihiko, who was still mad at her.

'How can it not be a big deal? You kissed someone! And what is it about this goodbye kiss?'

'Well, it was my neighbor who was seven years old. His father was transferred to Tokyo and he had to move. I often saw my mother kiss my father on the lips, my mother would sometimes kiss me that way, and my aunt would often kiss men like this. So I thought it was how people showed their affection to someone, regardless of love. There was nothing more to it I swear.'

Kyouhei had forgotten how naïve Sunako could be sometimes. But well, maybe she wasn't wrong. You indeed show your affection through a kiss. Maybe that was the reason why she had reacted so violently to his. The act of kissing may be precious to her after all, and she had pushed him away when she believed him insincere.

'Hey,' he said, 'shall we spin the bottle?'

The game continued smoothly, and no one mentioned the topic of guys and kisses again. Kyouhei had to admit that it was quite fun. He didn't really care about the "truth" part, since he didn't know the girls, but the challenges were truly entertaining. Since Sunako's revelations, everyone chose "dare". He successively saw Chihiko imitate a cat, Noriko doing a headstand (she remained in this position for nine seconds, something that Kyouhei thought quite impressive), Nanako had to crawl like a snake. Sunako's challenge was particularly vicious, in Kyouhei's opinion and to his delight. She had to recite the times table thrice.

'And if you make only one mistake,' Nanako had added, 'you will have to run around the house for five minutes.'

As expected by her sadistic friends, after the table of five, Sunako was lost. The friends went outside and laughed as she, covered from head to toe with warm clothes, ran as slowly as she could.

'It's a good thing I'm wearing trousers,' Sunako thought for these five minutes.

Of course, all the girls, except for Sunako, tried to aim at Kyouhei when they span the bottle.

Only Chihiko succeeded. When he chose "truth", she thought carefully before saying what she wanted to know.

'What kind of girl do you like?' she asked finally.

Kyouhei wondered why she wanted to know this. Did she expect him to describe her? He had chosen truth, and he would tell the truth. He had never thought of the kind of girl he liked. He had never been interested in a girl before Sunako. He thought them boring. He couldn't care less about beauty. He could never be with Noi, because she was quite annoying. Why did he want to be with Sunako?

'I like girls who are determined. They must know what they are doing, and why. I want girls who smile and know how to enjoy life, without any restrictions.'

None of the girls made any comment, but they kept that in mind.

The game ended at six, when Sunako's mother came back. They had been playing for an hour and a half. The girls chatted together for a while, mostly about Kyouhei. Sunako was relieved that they didn't ask her any questions about their relationship. She had been upset enough when, every time Kyouhei had spun the bottle, she had been chosen. She even wondered if he did it on purpose (as a matter of fact, he did, he had had a lot of training in the various host clubs he had worked at; he had to choose the most fortunate client), but he never asked her anything humiliating or dangerous. Strangely enough, he often asked her to pull diverse faces, and seemed contented with it.

The girls left an hour later, apparently very happy.

'We will do it again, promise?' Noriko asked, to which Sunako nodded vehemently with a cheerful smile.

Still, when she closed the main door after her friends' departure, she felt relieved. It had been a nice afternoon.

She was about to go back to her room when someone seized her arm.

'Didn't you forget something?' Kyouhei asked.

Sunako thought about it. 'Thank you?' she tried.

'You're welcome, but I wasn't talking about this. You have a date with me, and it starts now.'


	12. Dating Nakahara Sunako, Thirteen (I)

Kyoukei and Sunako were now walking in a deserted street of Sapporo. The young man had no idea of where they were headed to and he hoped that Sunako wouldn't notice his uneasiness.

As a matter of fact, Kyouhei wasn't so fond of dating. He couldn't understand all the fuss about it. When he wanted to spend time with Sunako, he just needed to go and see her, and he would be contented. He didn't expect her to dress up for him. She would never do such a thing anyway. Moreover, she hated dates as well, so why bother ?

Kyouhei had never felt concerned with all of this. He had already been on dates, but with Sunako. And it had never been of their own accord. Their busybody friends had meddled in their business as always. He vividly remembered that one time when Ranmaru had had one of his love crises. He had forced Kyouhei to take Sunako on a date without her knowledge. Kyouhei had to follow a strict schedule: romantic movie, fancy French restaurant, potential kissing… but of course, nothing went according to the plan. He had complied because he was afraid of Ranmaru, but when spending time with Sunako, he just had had fun. They had watched a horror movie, they had eaten in a nice local restaurant. They had even fought with wrestlers (this moment was what had most moved him; he was fond of her fighting style). Being with her was always fun anyway, whatever they did. People usually don't end up covered with blood when they go on a date, but who cared ? It didn't need to look like a date as long as Sunako had appreciated the day.

Why had he asked her on a date as a reward for his help then? Because he knew that even for thickheaded people like them, a date meant something. It meant being in a relationship, or being about to start one. He would obviously enjoy spending time with her, but he also wanted her to realize that his feelings for her were strong. Moreover, he was facing a younger Sunako that he had yet to know. He could see that the one he knew was different from this middle-school teenager who had yet to be rejected. He couldn't take the risk of not behaving properly.

Kyouhei looked at Sunako. She was walking as far away from him as possible, her eyes staring at the ground. She had struggled not to go on this date. She had begged, tried to negotiate a postponement, and finally, had tried to punch Kyouhei in the face. But he was stronger than her. At least, stronger than the thirteen year-old Sunako. He had defeated her when he had made it obvious that he was determined to spend time with her, that whether it was today, tomorrow, or the days after, she would go on a date with him, so she had better get over with it as soon as possible. Surprisingly, she had taken the bait. Well, maybe his threatening her of waiting in front of her school every day of the following week had helped a bit. She must have hated him by now. He couldn't blame her. It was pretty wicked and low of him to use that kind of argument. But still, he had had no choice. He felt urged. He had overheard a conversation between Sunako's mother and her husband on the phone (he couldn't get used to the fact that she called her husband "my sweet darling") and had learnt that Sunako's father would be home this Sunday. When he would be back, it would be useless to even think of talking to Sunako. Her father would kill him for this. He knew how overprotective he could be.

Kyouhei stopped and looked around him puzzled and annoyed not to know exactly where they were. He had looked for suitable places to go with Sunako and had somewhat explored the district while she was busy stuffing her room with hideous pink things, but he hadn't come up with any truly good idea.

'Do you have any idea where we're going?' Sunako asked at last. She seemed about to turn around and go back home at any time. 'Aren't you just lost?'

'Of course not! I simply don't know where to go first. I don't want you to get bored, that's all!'

'As if you cared!'

Sunako had wavered a bit at these words. Much to Kyouhei's relief he recognized a curry restaurant which he knew to be about five minutes from the mall.

'Wanna play games at the arcade ? We're not very far.'

Sunako shrugged and followed him.

Did that girl like videogames ? He didn't really know. The fifteen-year-old Sunako liked zombie and horror games, but that was pretty much it. He didn't feel like going to the cinema to sit silently in front of a movie though, and he really wasn't hungry. He just wanted to talk to her and laugh with her.

The place was crowded. We were on Saturday night, and a lot of young people had come to gather and expel the tension they had accumulated during a tiring week at school or at work. Kyouhei soon spotted a boy he had seen at Sunako's school. The guy's shade of ginger hair was unmistakable. However, Kyouhei didn't tell his date about it for fear that she would want to leave.

Luckily, they found an isolated game in a curiously dark corner of the arcade. No one seemed interested in it. There was a picture of a scalped mutant's head stuck on the side of the machine and some other gory details like orphan members which didn't help make it welcoming. Kyouhei had feared Sunako's reaction, but to his surprise and delight, she showed more enthusiasm for this videogame than he had seen her display for anything since he had met her younger self. She had sparkles in her eyes and didn't seem to be aware of the world around her anymore. She rushed to the machine.

'Aaaaaaah, nobody's playing _Hungry Mutant Cannibals 3 _!'

'Ain't that obvious ? Nobody would dare approach it !'

'Really?' Sunako seemed genuinely surprised. 'As far as I remember I've never seen this game available. It's always busy. There even often are people queuing for it.'

'Well, maybe tonight the owner of the place didn't let gang members or killers in. Do you enjoy sleepless nights ?'

Sunako didn't listen. In a blink of an eye, she had put some coins in the machine and had started it. Kyouhei smiled to himself and took the second joystick. Sunako had spontaneously selected the two-players mode and he appreciated. She chose a hulk of a character, Kyouhei took the nimble lady with blue hair. The aim of the game was quite simple: they were in a town which had been contaminated by a virus and where most of the inhabitants had turned into mutants. The players had to rescue the survivors who were hiding. They would kill mutants to survive, to defend the survivors, or just for the fun of it. They even could execute gory combos when killing mutants which gave the characters experience points that they would distribute amongst some skills between each level. That was the kind of game Kyouhei loved. And from what he could figure of Sunako's smile, she shared the same feeling. In an instant, they were totally hooked. They didn't even notice when a crowd began to surround them as people heard the machine shout the number of mutants Sunako could kill in a row. "Ten, Ultra Combo." "Fifteen, Exterminator," "Twenty, Mutant Genocide !"

It may seem strange that they didn't notice the cheerings and ovations, but when one gets to know Sunako and Kyouhei that kind of story becomes incidental. Sunako couldn't care less about what was going on around her. When she liked something, she gave herself to it wholeheartedly without a care for the rest. And she liked this video game. As for Kyouhei, he was used to it, no matter what he did people would come and watch. He couldn't buy fried shrimps at a takeaway without girls getting a nosebleed around him or faint because their eyes would meet. To normal people his handsomeness clashed with the violence of the game but since the presence of all these people didn't seem to disturb Sunako, why would he say something ?

They were walking along a tunnel when they were attacked by a group of six mutants. Kyouhei shot at them, but he was almost out of ammo and experienced difficulties pushing them back. Why did he struggle so much? Usually, killing them would have been a piece of cake. He looked for his huge and muscled partner and realized his was the only one fighting. Sunako was not covering him. Her character was meters away from the combat zone, standing still.

'Oi, what are you doing?' Kyouhei yelled.

He looked at Sunako and realized her player was not the only one spacing out. The young girl was looking straight ahead of her. Motionless, her lips slightly open, she didn't seem to have heard him. The young man followed her gaze and understood at once. That guy, Takero or whatever, the man who had dared say she was ugly, had joined the crowd and was looking at them. He seemed unaware that was at him that Sunako was staring. Was she that nothing to him that he couldn't notice something so obvious ?

Kyouhei felt angry. He couldn't understand. He was nice to Sunako, he wanted her company, and sometimes, he even yearned for it. However, she wouldn't even look at him. She wouldn't consider him as someone to date. But _that_ guy? That man who wouldn't even regard her as a girl ? How dare he ? Kyouhei pressed his joystick so tightly that his fingers turned white.

After the two players were slaughtered by the mutants, blood gushed on the screen and wrote the words "game over" as the machine pronounced them with a scary deep manly voice. As though he had forcibly been brought back to reality, Kyouhei slowly let go off the joystick and took Sunako's hand.

'Let's go. Didn't you hear ? The game's over. We've lost'

Sunako did not look at him, but obediently followed his lead.


	13. Dating Nakahara Sunako, Thirteen (II)

Kyouhei and Sunako were back to walking on the snow-covered streets of Sapporo. Kyouhei had run out of ideas. He didn't even know what people were supposed to do on a date. The choice of the arcades had been more of a lucky guess than a well-thought idea. In a way, he had wanted to check if the thirteen-year-old Sunako liked the same things as her two years older self. He was so happy and relieved when he had discovered it was the case. Playing video games was their easiest way of communicating. Why did this guy have to show up? From what Kyouhei could gather, he was really nothing special. He was not even popular. Yeah, he had one or two friends, so what? He didn't even look at her.

The handsome young man stole a glance at Sunako. She was about one foot away from him and seemed fidgety. Kyouhei knew her enough to see she was bored to death and that it was only a matter of time before she said 'I'm going home.'

But for once, he was wrong. As a matter of fact, Sunako was trying to say something, but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. Kyouhei was too afraid to hear her say she was done to notice her hesitation.

She breathed deeply and was about to begin her sentence when she bumped into a tall woman who was looking ahead and did not pay attention to her. Kyouhei had been surprised that Sunako was willing to speak to him and was looking at her eagerly. However, the sound of something dropped on the ground attracted his attention and he noticed a purse a few meters behind the tall lady.

He called out to her and picked up the purse only to regret his kindness one minute later. Obviously, she had dropped it – and had bumped into Sunako – on purpose, so as to have a chance to talk to him. She asked him if he was single and suggested a drink at her place. When he told her he was thirteen (she was about thirty years old), she didn't seem to mind and said love wasn't about age. Gosh, how could he still be so naïve after all the situations he had experienced? Women would lose their purse so often around him. Maybe he was too used to Sunako's indifference, which wasn't so bad after all. He managed to free himself from the woman's grasp with much difficulty but without being too rude and looked for Sunako, who hadn't even watched the scene and was already fifty feet away from him. He caught up to her in a few strides, and they walked in silence. He waited for her to talk again, but she didn't. As they were getting near a lit pastry shop, Sunako stared at it with her eyes wide open.

'What is it?' Kyouhei asked.

She ignored him and ran towards the shop. Kyouhei followed her closely after having taken a look at the sign that read "Tea-time break".

When he passed through the front door, he was amazed at the brightness and the cuteness of the place. All the furniture was made of wood: the tables, the chairs, the main counter. He felt like he was in some sort of inhabited cabin lost in the deepest and darkest area of a forest. A nice fire had been lit in a coal-made mantelpiece and warmed up the room. It instantly soothed Kyouhei.

He was standing in the main room of the shop. In front of him, there were a dozen of round tables for two to four customers, which had been elegantly decorated with light pink tablecloth and ivory-coloured napkins. Three leather bench seats coloured with the same light pink had been place against the wall, on the right corner of the room.

On the opposite side stood the counter. The cash register was on its left side. The display case had been emptied and was now sparkling clean, waiting to be filled with delicious pastries.

'Cosy,' Kyouhei thought. Even though the atmosphere was too girly for him, he felt calm and at ease in the shop. And he could well imagine Sunako feeling the same. They had a similar sensitivity for that kind of things.

His friend's voice brought his attention to the back door that most probably led to the kitchen.

'Oba-san,' he heard Sunako exclaim, 'How can you still be working at this time of the day ? You should be resting!'

Quietly, almost shyly, as though he was afraid of interrupting an intimate moment, he pushed the door and slowly entered the room. An old European lady was standing at a work surface, her hands and apron covered with flour and her face turned to Sunako, who stood close to her.

'Don't you bother yourself with that young lady! It's your day off, you're the one who shouldn't be here. Oh,' she exclaimed, 'and you're on a date, at that? I understand why your mother insisted on the importance of me not calling you for work. Who are you young man?"

Kyouhei smiled. He was not familiar with this aristocratic way of talking, but it fitted the old lady's character quite well. There was something about her that conveyed a strong feeling of warmth. Whether it emanated from her round face, her grey hair or her soft skin, Kyouhei wasn't sure. It was however difficult not to notice her intense gaze and imposing attitude, proofs of a strong character. She was very small and thin and for a woman who looked about 80 years of age, she was surprisingly energetic. He decided that being more formal in his way of talking wouldn't be inappropriate.

'Good evening, Madam. I am Takano Kyouhei. I am Sunako's friend. Nice to meet you. Are you the owner of this lovely shop?'

The lady's eyes suddenly filled with malice and a smile illuminated her beautifully wrinkled face.

'Sunako?' she echoed, amused by the absence of honorifics. 'Yes, I own this shop. My name is Elizabeth, and I am English. I've been working with my husband, who was Japanese, for forty-two years, until he passed away six years ago. I've been managing the place since then. I'm so fortunate to have Sunako help me. She's a good girl,' she added, winking at Kyouhei.

Kyouhei smiled knowingly back at her. The old lady feigned a yawn, even though the young man could see she wasn't that tired.

'I think I'm gonna get some sleep. I've been working non-stop for twelve hours. Sunako-chan, would you mind taking over? All you have to do is bake the scones and fill the display case. Pour your friend some tea and give him a piece of that carrot cake I baked in the morning. Have a good night, you two.'

Kyouhei watched the old lady leave the room using a back door that he hadn't noticed before.

'Where is she headed?' he asked.

Sunako looked at him. As one would expect, she seemed to have forgotten about his existence. She hesitated, but answered anyway.

'Her home. She lives here obviously. The bedrooms and the bathroom are on the upper floor.'

'Mmm.'

Kyouhei sat down on one of the chairs surrounding the table at the center of the room and turned to Sunako. She was already at work. She had put an apron on and was now kneading the dough for the scones. For a second, the young man hoped for his friend to talk to him, but she didn't.

'Hey, can I have a cup of tea?'

Sunako didn't answer. She didn't even glance at him. Kyouhei knew her enough not to be surprised, yet, he was annoyed.

'Oi, we're still on a date remember?' he said impatiently.

'Can't you see the date is over? I'm working!'

Kyouhei could hear that she was irritated. He smirked at her.

'So what? Did you forget why you went on this date with me? If I leave now, I'll consider the date never happened. Even more, I'll consider you stood me up. You wouldn't mind me talking to your friends right?'

Sunako was furious, but couldn't say a thing. They were indeed here because he had helped her hide her weird habits from her friends, and she was indebted to him. Kyouhei was satisfied, even though he felt ashamed of himself. The threat was sly and low even from someone like him. He felt the need to draw Sunako's attention away from his whole manipulation. Stubborn as she was, she could easily miss the fact he genuinely liked her and didn't mean to hurt or disturb her in any way.

'Why don't you show them who you really are? I'm sure they would understand!'

'Hmpfff, even if I told you why, you wouldn't understand. You belong to the beautiful. You get everything you want without having to take care of anything yourself.'

'Yeah right. That's why I'm living at your aunt's. That's because I'm so lucky to have a pretty face that my mother couldn't even stand to look at me and kicked me out.'

He was right, and Sunako knew that too. When it came to parents, he definitely wasn't luckier than she was. Sunako was turned to the work surface, but he could see her hands had stopped moving. She stood there, motionless. They remained silent for a few seconds, then she uttered in a low voice, almost shyly :

'About earlier, thanks.'

Kyouhei smiled. That's what she had meant to say then.

'No big deal, but if you're that grateful, you could talk a bit about yourself. You can trust me, even if you don't believe me when I say that,' he added softly. 'I mean no harm, I swear.'

She looked at him for the first time, as though she was trying to make out the truth from the lies, then turned back to the work surface and started kneading the dough again.

'My parents too used to tell me that I should remain myself. 'You're great as you are, you shouldn't worry. People will end up accepting you.' I have always had these weird habits, as people call them. I loved scary movies, gothic stuff, dangerous weapons. I always admired my mother for being pretty and strong, and wanted to be like her. I wanted her to be proud of me. So when I was elementary school, even though I was isolated from the rest of the children, I tried my best to remain true to myself, to be like my mother. But I knew other parents were criticizing her for the way she raised me. 'Look at this woman, she's so young, and she already has an 8 year-old girl. No wonder the child is so strange. '

'And that's why you decided to hide your tastes.'

Sunako turned to him again as if surprised that someone was listening. For some reasons, the question of this beautiful guy felt legitimate.

'When I entered middle school, I promised myself no one would know of my weird habits. I would be a normal girl who would love to dress up when on weekends, and be pretty and like boys. And I realized it wasn't that bad,' she added firmly.

'You mean you fooled yourself into believing that,' Kyouhei whispered.

But Sunako had already gone back to work and couldn't hear him.

'What did your parents say about it?'

The young girl looked at him, suspicious. Why did he want to know so much about her? She had never told anyone about all this and didn't like the feeling of being exposed, all the more so to a guy she didn't even know. What was buzzing her was that she couldn't spot any malevolence in his gaze. He seemed to be genuinely interested. Sunako felt like she wanted to confide her feelings, as though he was a kind of shrink. He had helped her redecorate her room after all, maybe he could understand her situation a bit.

'They were confused at first, but they concluded that it was due to teenage years and that, as long as I was happy, they wouldn't say a thing. I think that what disturbed my mother the most was that I resembled my aunt,' Sunako chuckled. 'My mother never understood her sophisticated manners and didn't want me to forget myself.'

'Mmm, she seems to be a good woman.'

'She is!' Sunako instantly replied, as though she was afraid someone would think badly of her mother.

'So all of this is to protect your mother right?'

'I don't know. I suppose it's just easier that way. Now I said much, don't ask anything anymore.'

Kyouhei found it already amazing that she had revealed so much about herself. Unfortunately for her, Kyouhei had something else to ask. He hadn't forgotten why he had travelled back in time and still meant to prevent her from having a broken heart.

'But this guy. You seem to really like him. But from my point of view he's not that great. What's cool about him?'

Sunako didn't answer. She kept working and tried to ignore him. However, he wouldn't leave her alone.

'Seriously Sunako, why this guy? I can't get why you like him. Back at the arcade you looked as if a lightning had stroke you down.'

'Come on, I'm not gonna leave you alone. He doesn't seem like your type seriously. Why would you fancy that type of guy?'

Finally, she raised her head and looked at Kyouhei straight in the eyes with such an irritated look that he felt goosebumps climbing along his spine.

'Because he will be the one to decide if I can become a normal teenage girl.'


End file.
